CHENNAI: BJP State president K Annamalai on Tuesday said Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP would never allow imposition of Hindi and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made Hindi only an optional language in the National Educational Policy (NEP) though the draft of this policy envisaged making Hindi as compulsory.
Addressing a press meet at the State headquarters, referring to BJP functionaries sharing the dais Annamalai said, “No one here knows Hindi. I too don’t know Hindi. If someone needs it for work, education or business, then they can learn it. But we don’t have to be forced to learn a language to prove that we are Indians.”
Annamalai’s remarks assume significance as they came after severe opposition to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark that Hindi should replace English as the link language among the States.
Welcoming the view of AR Rahman that Tamil could be the link language of India, Annamalai said.
“Tamil being the link language of India will be the greatest pride for all of us. But I wonder whether we have taken steps to give Tamil the status of link language.”